


The Hardest Thing to Say

by books4belle



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: F/F, Femslash, angsty!thalia, hunter drama, mentions of past thalia/luke
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-25
Updated: 2014-05-25
Packaged: 2018-01-26 10:14:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 887
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1684676
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/books4belle/pseuds/books4belle
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Thalia explains to Reyna why she joined the hunters.</p><p>Inspired by praetorwithasidebraid on tumblr</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Hardest Thing to Say

**Author's Note:**

> So this was inspired by an ask from praetorwithasidebraid on tumblr who wrote: 
> 
> Theyna headcanon: The most difficult thing for Thalia to tell Reyna is why she became a hunter. she ran away from what could/would/should have been her destiny as the first child born to the big three after the pact. Reyna confronts everything head on, Thalia can only do that if she thinks she has the upper hand, through power or wits.

“So, why did you join the Hunters?”

It seemed a simple enough question, so Reyna was surprised when Thalia’s shoulders drooped and she sighed heavily. 

“Gods honest truth? Because I was scared.” Reyna saw something that looked like shame in her girlfriend’s blue eyes before Thalia looked down at her hands.

Reyna wasn’t sure what to say. It was hard to imagine Thalia being afraid of anything. Usually she was so confident; sometimes dangerously so. The ferocity with which Jason’s sister had faced down Gaea’s forces at Camp Half-Blood showed she was hardly one to be trifled with. 

Instinctively, Reyna reached out and took her hand. “Tell me?” she asked quietly, running her thumb gently over Thalia’s knuckles. 

“It was just…” she began haltingly, still not meeting Reyna’s eyes. “It was just so much. Zoe’s death. The prophecy. Luke.” She paused. “I wasn’t even supposed to be there. They brought me out of my tree so I could be a piece in Kronos’s game.” Thalia looked up, her face grim. “Luke apparently convinced him that I’d be sympathetic to their cause. If I turned 16 before Percy, it might swing the prophecy in their favor.” 

Thalia grasped both of Reyna’s hands, squeezing them as she continued. “And the worst part about it? They might have been right. I don’t know if I would have had the strength to turn against Luke. I don’t know if I could have asked him to sacrifice himself. Even with how angry I was, I still can’t be certain.”

Thalia dropped Reyna’s hands and turned away again. She drew her legs up to her chest and rested her chin on her knees. When she spoke again, her voice was so quiet that Reyna could barely hear her. “So I ran away. From choices and prophecies and love and responsibilities and everything. I ran from it all like a coward.”

“You’re not a coward, Thalia.”

“No? And what would you have done in that situation?” Thalia spat. “Walked away and let other people deal with the mess? Rejected your destiny because you were afraid of the consequences? Not you. Not the daughter of Bellona who meets every challenge, every responsibility without backing down.”

Reyna narrowed her eyes at the beautiful, frustrating girl before her. “I may not be the one who’s afraid of heights, but I’m not sure I like being up here on this pedestal.” She set her hands on Thalia’s shoulders and shook her lightly. “Who’s to say what I would have done? Or to say that my choice would have been the right one? How do you know you made the wrong choice? You joined the Hunters and you’ve been true to your oath. I think that counts for something ” 

Thalia sighed. “When I joined the Hunters, I was only thinking about what I was running away from. I didn’t think about what I was running to.” 

“But you like being a Hunter, right?”

Thalia shrugged. “Most of the time it’s great. I like the other girls. I like the travel and hunting down monsters. The extra speed and strength is nice too.” she hesitated.

Reyna waited, allowing Thalia to find the right words before she went on. 

“It wasn’t hard to swear the oath. I could still see Luke’s face as he fell over the cliff. I couldn’t imagine in that moment that I would feel that way about anyone ever again. I knew I never wanted to hurt like that again. Giving up on relationships seemed like a relief.”

Thalia smiled cautiously at Reyna. She ran her fingers nervously through her short black hair and there was a slight blush on her cheeks. “It’s funny how much things can change in a couple of years.” 

Now it was Reyna’s turn to blush. Though they’d been together for a relatively short period of time, she’d developed strong feelings for the daughter of Zeus. The thought that Thalia might return those feelings was both exciting and a little terrifying. She moved in a bit closer, taking Thalia’s hand again. “Thalia, I…” 

“Don’t worry,” she interrupted, brushing her index finger over Reyna’s lips to silence her. “I’m not planning on breaking my oath or running away. I don’t really want to be turned into a bear or deer or anything like that.”

“That’s good,” Reyna smiled. “I’m pretty fond of you as a human.”

“I’m pretty fond of you, too.” Thalia leaned in and their lips met. Before Reyna could deepen the kiss, Thaila pulled back and rested her forehead against Reyna’s.

“Thank you for listening, and for not thinking the worst of me. I was afraid you would, you know, when I told you why.”

Reyna shook her head. The movement caused their noses to brush together, which made her grin. “Thank you for trusting me.” She leaned back a little so she could look into Thalia’s eyes. “And I don’t think any less of you. You made the best choice you could in the midst of a hard situation. You’ve kept your word, even when it’s been difficult. If anything, I think I have even more respect for you then I did before.”  
Thalia scoffed. “Who’s putting who on a pedestal now?” 

“Don’t worry,” Reyna murmured as she brought her lips back toward Thalia’s, “I won’t let you fall.”

**Author's Note:**

> Come visit me on [tumblr](http://goodforharpies.tumblr.com)


End file.
